I love where I work.

So THIS is what me and my amazing coworkers put on this week.

A ton of work, a major success: Nancy Pelosi dresses to a T,  Joel Madden is a tool, John Oliver is hilarious, Clinton in a power tie, Van Jones is the future...

Please also enjoy this Wonkette blog post, as it was my job to sit in that press room and wait for Maureen Dowd to not show up.

But my favorite part of this entire conference week was hanging out at the Senate office buildings on Thursday:

I got to discuss the ACES Bill with my ultimate idol, Claire McCaskill, for a full twenty minutes.

Okay, actually it was more like my Missouri-born coworker Brett, Power Shift guru Ethan and new friend Daniel earnestly discussed the bill with her while I tried to contain my joy and keep myself from hugging her/sputtering out how much I admired her blue-dog-democrat-ways every four seconds.

As Daniel put it, "Kate, you just sat there smiling!"

(He was also forgetting the fact that moments earlier he had freaked out about Chuck Shumer saying "hi" to him in the hallway. And our joint freak out after seeing Sonia Sotomayor limp out of a Senator's office, followed by a mob of cameras).

But seriously, listening to these three incredibly intelligent young men and the insanely well-spoken, smart Claire respectfully argue their points (a stronger climate bill vs. the reality of representing Missouri) was fascinating and will go down as one of the highlights of my life. Politics at its best.

The fact that one of her legislative assistants gossiped to me about Tom Coburn's involvement in the recent Ensign scandal (OMG stop claiming the moral highground!) was just icing on the cake.

Also, we launched this amazing campaign.

Paired with video (for which I had to be a stand-in while they set up the lighting...)

Anyway, full week. I'm still on cloud nine. 

The Apex of Patriotism: 4th of July in DC

Generally one of my favorite holidays due to sparklers and pie making contests...

4th of July weekend here was awesome.

Roman candles on a corner of U-Street.

Going to the MJ tribute party dressed in little boy pajamas.

Waiting on a curb with a mob of tourists outside the White House to watch Obama wave from the tinted glass of an intimidating SUV motorcade.

Sprawling out to watch the fireworks over the capital.

Roof top parties are the best parties.

And a good dance mix makes a party.

I saw Up in 3D and Away We Go, both really really good movies. Pixar and John Krasinski never cease to amaze me. Niether do Venus, Serena and Federer.

I love it when Wilco CD releases converge with summertime. Perfection.

Major, huge week ahead: Bill Clinton, John Oliver, Van Jones, Nancy Pelosi and Kathleen Sebelius are all speaking at our conference on Wednesday!

I am especially excited for Sebelius, my homegirl from a conservative state. 

...speaking of conservative states: It is literally killing me that Sally Kerns is allowed to be rep'n Oklahoma. I mean, Ellen couldn't even help her.

Top that off with Inhofe refusing to meet with Sotomayer.

Seriously. Why is my favorite state deliberately moving backward?

Some good Opinion pieces:

"40 Years Later, Still Second-Class Americans."

"The Republican Party will never revive itself until its sanctimonious pantheon — Sanford, Gingrich, Limbaugh, Palin, Ensign, Vitter and hypocrites yet to be exposed — stop being two-faced."

"Invent, Invent, Invent."

Scottie Dogs.

My favorite president is FDR.

He's kinda my go-to guy as to why I consider myself a government loving Democrat.

So it's fitting that my favorite, favorite monument is the FDR memorial, which is essentially its own park affronting the Potomac. 

To put this into context, every monument I've seen in DC has been architecturally stunning, restrained instead of cheesy and incredibly moving. Plus I'm a sucker for being moved by these types of things.

But his quotes are as epic as his presidency. Especially relevant in an economic downturn. And made all the more awesome carved into stone and surrounded by waterfalls.

"Franklin's illness gave him strength and courage he had not had before. He had to think out the fundamentals of living and learn the greatest of all lessons - infinite patience and never-ending persistence."

- Eleanor Roosevelt.

"I was 32 when I started cooking, up until then I just ate."

So on the plane ride to DC I read Julia Child's "My Life in France."

Though her kitchen pioneering hay days were before my time, I became so spellbound and attached: her fearlessness, her beautiful marriage to Paul Child and the amazing adventures they embarked on together for both of their careers, the way she embraced life and didn't sweat the small stuff, her love of learning...

Well, today I went to the Museum of American History which boasts such iconic Americana items like the red slippers worn by Judy Garland in Wizard of Oz, Lincoln's sobering black top hat, an Alabama sit-in counter, etc.

...but my personal favorite was Julia's Kitchen (!!!!!!), fully intact and on display for all to peek inside. 

I distinctly remember falling in love with food and cooking sophomore year, when I lived in an apartment with Kelly. We'd both come home from class and watch Giada; and honestly my life's never been the same. 

Because whether it's Giada or Julia or Anthony Bourdain or Mario Batali, they're striking at the best and purest parts of life: travel, culture, family, friends, simplicity, time, patience, persistence, catharsis, quality...

Anyway, it felt like my Julia Child phase has come full circle.

And now this:

Happy Birthday Kori Hamman!

a cupcake + an indie cd

...per our birthday tradition

wish we could celebrate together here or at mcnellies.

love you more than the whole wide world.

Surviving DC Summer 09: Avoid the Red Line and Crazy Elderly Bigots at Holocaust Museum.

I have a thing for chinese wave illustrations.

My favorite thing in the world is now Tapas.

Howard Dean was in my Metro car. My first DC celebrity! Thinner in person.

A lot going on in the sports world: I'm insanely happy Shaq's being traded, because he ruined everything the Suns had going for them. And, though heartbreaking, I think it's ultimately good for the world that soccer glory remains an elusive sport for the United States.

It's been a frustrating and busy week for me as far as legislation and issues are concerned, but Saturday morning I was walking toward Georgetown and out of nowhere comes this massive march of people peaceably protesting the elections in Iran. 

I started crying, literally overwhelmed by how amazing it is that I live in a country where opinions can be voiced without shots being fired. How healthy that is for a country. And how much I take that for granted.

Most importantly, come to me and my friend Emily's PARTY for all things Michael, Farrah and 4th of July!

Public Service Announcement.

I generally consider myself a very healthy person - I don't have allergies or asthma, I've never been hospitalized, never broken a bone, I'm not constantly fighting off colds or mono or strep or swine flu...

But, since summer 2008, I've suffered from miserable bouts of Vertigo often occurring after flights or trains, etc.

And when I describe it to people, I often feel like I'm making it up, like I stole it from an Alfred Hitchcock film and there's not possibly something out there really entitled Vertigo.

But now that I'm in almost a constant state of Vertigo (thanks public transportation), I've decided to enlighten everyone on the symptoms of this random/weird malady so that people can feel sufficiently sympathetic toward me when I complain.

First, my eyes get really red and watery.

And then I feel as if I am constantly moving: mostly falling or sloping downward, but if I'm in a chair or lying in bed I feel like I'm on a boat bobbing in water...

This is not to be confused with dizziness or motion sickness. I never feel dizzy or nauseated.

When it's really bad I run into walls.

...it's very disorienting, even scary, because it's so inescapable and it becomes harder than normal to function in society.

Since the source is some sort of inner ear equilibrium mechanism that nobody knows how to explain to me in a way that makes any sense, my ears begin to pop and ring.

I then go to a doctor who gives me glorified sleeping pills and instructs me through a series embarrassing stretches/exercises that do not help. As of right now, time seems to be the only cure.

According to Web MD, I will either be living with this for the rest of my life or am dying of a brain tumor.